Beverly Joy Jeffries Richardson

BEVERLY JOY JEFFRIES RICHARDSON was born in Portsmouth, Ohio on Tuesday, February 7, 1939. She was the daughter of James W. Richardson and Gladys L. (Jeffries) Richardson. Beverly was a former student at Washington Elementary School and a 1957 graduate of Portsmouth High School. She was very active in school activities at Portsmouth High School. Beverly was proud to reflect on how she organized a cheerleading squad for Black girls in the 1950’s and was a member of the “Busy Bee Club” of the 14th Street Community Center. Beverly furthered her education at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1963 and a Master of Arts degree in 1968. She was a forty-two-year veteran educator, serving as a Middle School Teacher in California, Delaware, and Ohio; Acting Principal of an elementary school in Oakland, California; and a Secondary Teacher at Kilbourne Middle School, Worthington, Ohio, where she retired. Her church affiliations included Pleasant Green Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Ohio and Salem Baptist Church, Columbus, Ohio, where she was a volunteer worker. She also volunteered at Community Kitchen in Columbus. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Beverly was a world traveler and a marathon runner. She participated in marathons in California, Jamaica, Hawaii, and Columbus, Ohio. Blessed with eighty-two years of life, our beloved Beverly was called from labor to eternal reward on Monday, March 8, 2021. In addition to her parents, Beverly was preceded in death by her brothers, Donald L. Richardson, Curtis L. Richardson, and James P. Richardson. Loving memories are cherished by her brothers, Harvey S. (P.J.) Richardson, Sr., Timothy K. (Janet) Richardson; sister, Lee Richardson; cousin, Patricia Goodman; and a host of nieces, nephews, other family members, and many friends.